What NBA Teams Look For
There are three major tools an NBA team looks for in players when evaluating them.
Physical Characteristics - Height, Weight, Strength, Speed, Quickness, Conditioning, Coordination, Body Length, and Injury History.
Mental Characteristics - Basketball IQ, Coachable, Team Player, Work Ethnic, Leadership, Responsible, Positive Attitude, Passion, Competitiveness, Handling Pressure.
Skills - Shooting, Passing, Dribbling, Rebounds, Block Shots, Defense, Handling Plays, React To Double Teams, etc.
Those are what make complete basketball players, that have potential to be solid players for many years. Most NBA personnel look at how well developed a player is. More than a player who just has "potential", a player with a proven track record is better to evaluate, than a player who played for a short amount of time and no sign of consistent play. Most times they want players who can seriously play right now and help contribute, not spending time helping a player to mold, because their jobs are at risk also, if things don’t workout quickly.
I like to advocate staying awhile and developing a complete game playing style, and not rush progress after playing a year or two. Teams are taking notice of everything, they’re investing millions into players and expect the best from them on and off the court.
A lot of young players think stats and highlights land them jobs in the NBA, that’s false hype, it gets you noticed but it doesn’t guarantee or entitle you to a job. Players like LeBron James, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant are rare, there are more Daequan Cooks who think they’re ready now but end up like Omar Cook, out of the league real fast and just playing decent overseas or not even playing anymore.
I know making NBA money is nice and they want to take care of their families, I know they want to shine on the biggest level of basketball in the world, I know their dream is to play in the NBA, but I also know that these young players need to calm down with leaving school early and thinking they’re better and can offer what other players can’t, it’s positive thinking but not always smart. It’s to the point now where I see players who play one year and didn’t even start, didn’t put up consistent stats or even play consistently on the court, but they say I’m ready to play in the NBA. Then they end up being bust, or not selected at a spot they like and they have a problem with it.
I’ve only watched American Idol twice but it’s like a person who doesn’t sing well, Simon says you need to practice you’re not good enough, and other people see you’re not good enough, but that person gets mad and sees no flaws in them. They’re only hindering themselves, but they have that right, if players want to challenge themselves and take risk that’s fine. But I personally feel most would be better off working on their craft if they seriously want to do it long-term on the highest level. Don’t get me wrong either, staying longer doesn’t promise you anything, but usually you have a better shot by doing so.
Most NBA personnel will say we’d rather have four year players, but if thats all thats out there is young inexperience ones than we’re looking very hard a certain traits including decision making skills. I really hope players are looking at the whole perspective short-term and long-term game plans, because it’s truly important.
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